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VW’s Elise-rivalling sports car scooped
By
Tim Pollard (artist's impression by Larson)
10 October 2008 11:34
Volkswagen is readying a top-secret mid-engined sports car in the mould of the Lotus Elise – a true people’s sports car in keeping with the brand’s populist roots and wearing a tempting price tag hovering around £20,000. CAR has compiled a dossier on the new VW coupe and we’ll see more concrete clues at the November 2008 Los Angeles motor show when Volkswagen whisks the cover off its third small sports car concept in five years.
CAR Online’s artist’s impression reveals a possible look for the new VW coupe, although we admit this image is quite speculative. Little is known yet about the finished look of the newcomer – largely because the production version isn’t likely to be seen before 2013.
The design is still not signed off, but we hear that VW designer Mark Lichte is planning to give the sports car classic proportions, with a long wheelbase, a wide track and short overhangs. Our image wraps up that DNA in a contemporary Volkswagen two-seater design.
So what do we definitely know about the new VW sports car?
The concept being discussed in Wolfsburg is a four-cylinder, mid-engined car. If VW is to achieve that £20,000 cut-price Elise positioning, keeping a lid on costs will be vital.
So engines will come from elsewhere in the group empire and the vehicle architecture will be spun around a new modular steel assembly system. Dubbed Modular Sports Car, the underpinnings will be simple – aluminium is considered way too expensive – but that sadly means that the car is likely to weigh around 300kg more than the Elise.
However, the engineers are targeting a rigid assembly that is stiff enough to have a coupe (pictured) or convertible roadster bodystyles.
Click ‘Next’ to read more about the 2013 VW sports car
